portion

[ pawr-shuhn, pohr- ]

/ ˈpɔr ʃən, ˈpoʊr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR portion ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a part of any whole, either separated from or integrated with it: I read a portion of the manuscript.

an amount of food served for one person; serving; helping: He took a large portion of spinach.

the part of a whole allotted to or belonging to a person or group; share.

the part of an estate that goes to an heir or a next of kin.

Literary. something that is allotted to a person by God or fate.

(especially formerly) the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband at marriage; dowry.

verb (used with object)

to divide into or distribute in portions or shares (often followed by out).

to furnish with a portion, as with an inheritance or a dowry: All of his children have been amply portioned.

to provide with a lot or fate: She was portioned with sorrow throughout her life.

Nearby words

Origin of portion

1250–1300; Middle English porcion < Old French < Latin portiōn- (stem of portiō) share, part, akin to pars part

SYNONYMS FOR portion

1. section, segment. See part. 2. ration. 3. allotment, quota, lot, dividend. 4. inheritance. 5. fortune, lot, destiny, doom. 7. allot, apportion. 8. endow.

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ANTONYMS FOR portion

1. whole.

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Related forms

por·tion·a·ble, adjectivepor·tion·less, adjectivere·por·tion, verb (used with object)un·por·tion·a·ble, adjective

un·por·tioned, adjective

Can be confusedportion potion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for portion

Counting encores, NBC estimated that over 44 million people had watched some portion of the production by the end of the month.
The Cast of ‘Peter Pan Live!’ Knows You Hatewatched ‘The Sound of Music’|Kevin Fallon|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2000, the Israeli government simply closed the portion of downtown Hebron under its control.
Inside Hebron, Israel’s Heart of Darkness|Michael Tomasky|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But they can win back a portion of it, and in many states and congressional districts, a portion will be enough to change things.
The Real Reason Democrats Lost|Michael Tomasky|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“They know how to take supplements, they know how to portion out their meals,” Smith said.
College Football Fattens Players Up and Then Abandons Them|Evin Demirel|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A portion of ticket proceeds will go to the Foundation for Education of Young Women.
Tickets on Sale Now For WITW Texas||September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Above all things, integrity is their portion and proper virtue.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
Brother Isaac Turley, who had traveled a portion of the road and who was an experienced traveler, was elected wagon-master.
Forty Years Among the Indians|Daniel W. Jones
We have surveyed briefly some problems of our people and a portion of the tasks before us.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various
In 1759 this portion of the work appeared, and in 1761 the work was completed by the history of the pre-Tudor periods.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 8|Various
It has conscripted a portion, a relatively small portion, of the men of the Nation.
Right Above Race|Otto Hermann Kahn

British Dictionary definitions for portion

portion

/ (ˈpɔːʃən) /

noun

a part of a whole; fraction

a part allotted or belonging to a person or group

an amount of food served to one person; helping

law

a share of property, esp one coming to a child from the estate of his parents
the property given by a woman to her husband at marriage; dowry

a person's lot or destiny

verb (tr)

to divide up; share out

to give a share to (a person); assign or allocate

law to give a dowry or portion to (a person); endow

Derived Formsportionless, adjective

Word Origin for portion

C13: via Old French from Latin portiō portion, allocation; related to pars part

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for portion

portion

early 14c., "allotted part, share," from Old French porcion "part, portion" (12c., Modern French portion) and directly from Latin portionem (nominative portio) "share, part," accusative of the noun in the phrase pro portione "according to the relation (of parts to each other)" (see proportion). From late 14c. in general sense of "section into which something is divided."

portion

"to divide in portions," early 14c., from Old French porcioner "share out, divide in portions," from porcion (see portion (n.)). Related: Portioned; portioning.

portion

noun

verb (used with object)

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Nearby words

Origin of portion

Examples from the Web for portion

portion

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for portion

portion

portion